It may be advantageous to apply a body bias signal to some semiconductor devices. For example, it has been proposed to apply body bias signals in connection with certain device testing procedures to improve the sensitivity of the test. According to another proposal, body biasing may be employed to adjust the operating frequency of a semiconductor device to meet frequency specifications.
One drawback to applications that call for body biasing of semiconductor devices may reside in a possible requirement that the layout of the device be substantially modified to accommodate a grid to which the bias signal may be applied. The modification of the device layout to accommodate such a grid may potentially involve months of layout design work, with a corresponding delay in time-to-market.